As you are well aware, in 1982 the members of
ARCIC I presented to the
authorities that had given them their mandate a Final Report on the three
doctrinal questions that had been the subject of their discussions, namely the
Eucharist, the
Ordained Ministry
and Authority in the Church.

The Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion were asked to examine this Report
and to reply officially to the conclusions reached by the ARCIC, giving in
particular a judgement on how precisely those conclusions reflected the faith
respectively of the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.

The Lambeth Conference of 1988 considered the Final Report and came to the
conclusion that the Report's statements on
Eucharistic Doctrine,
Ministry and
Ordination and their Elucidations were "consonant in substance with the faith of
Anglicans". The Conference also found the statement on Authority in the Church
to be a "firm basis for the direction and agenda of the continuing dialogue on
this question".

Over the past years there has been wide consultation within the Catholic Church
on this document and on the official response to be given in respect of its
conclusions. The preparation of this response was finally entrusted by
Pope John
Paul II to the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which had issued the
first official Catholic reaction to the Report in 1982, and the Congregation has
had a determining role in drawing up the formal reply which I am now forwarding
to you. You will note that the main points of the Observations of 1982 are
incorporated in this text. At the same time, I wish to state that the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has carried out the task entrusted to
it in consultation with the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity,
which for its part has contributed notably to the final text, which has now been
approved by His Holiness
Pope John
Paul II. This collaboration is to be seen
against the background of the Decree Pastor Bonus which states that, since the
questions dealt with by the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity by
their very nature often touch on matters of faith, the Council has to proceed in
strict relationship with the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
especially when it comes to drafting documents or statements for publication (Pastor
Bonus, Art. 137, § 1).

I wish to take this opportunity of paying tribute to the hard work and
dedication of the members of
ARCIC I. The long period of time necessary for this
response on the part of the Catholic Church witnesses to the serious manner in
which this task was undertaken and indicates just how arduous is the quest for
unity in faith. Those not involved in ecumenical dialogue often underestimate
the complexity and the difficulty of such work.